Esch Cummins revised

Sam Dickenson ( )'s version of the 1920 Esch Cummins act has left us with a good idea of what could have worked well for the railroads in the long run. But I personally have some issues with it. So we are going to look at this plan and see what could be changed so that everyone gets a genuinely fair share of each place they could go. First, his revised plan:

Boston & Maine: Bangor & Aroostook; Delaware & Hudson; Maine Central

New York, New Haven & Hartford: Lehigh & Hudson River; New York, Ontario & Western

New York Central: Rutland; Virginian

Pennsylvania: Long Island; Norfolk & Western; Toledo, Peoria & Western; 50% of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line; 50% of the Winston-Salem Southbound

Baltimore & Ohio: Buffalo & Susquehanna; Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh; Central Railroad of New Jersey; Chicago & Alton; Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; Detroit & Toledo Shore Line; Lehigh & New England; Reading; 50% of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line

New York, Chicago & St. Louis: Bessemer & Lake Erie; Chesapeake & Ohio; Chicago & Illinois Midland; Chicago, Attica & Southern; Detroit & Mackinac; Hocking Valley; Lehigh Valley; Pere Marquette

Wabash & Erie: Akron, Canton & Youngstown; Ann Arbor; Detroit, Toledo & Ironton; Erie; Pittsburgh & West Virginia; Wabash; Western Maryland; Wheeling & Lake Erie

Atlantic Coast Line: Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast; Chicago & Eastern Illinois; Clinchfield; Georgia Route; Gulf Mobile & Northern; Louisville & Nashville; New Orleans Great Northern; 50% of the Winston-Salem Southbound; Trackage rights over the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville to Chicago

Southern: Florida East Coast; Mobile & Ohio; Norfolk Southern; Trackage rights over the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville to Chicago

Illinois Central: Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay; Central of Georgia; Columbus & Greenville; Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis; Seaboard Air Line; Tennessee Central

Great Northern Pacific: Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic; Great Northern; Minneapolis & St. Louis; Northern Pacific; Spokane, Portland & Seattle

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific: Butte, Anaconda & Pacific; Duluth & Iron Range; Duluth, Missabe & Northern; Escanaba & Lake Superior; Trackage rights on Spokane, Portland & Seattle to Portland, Oregon.

Union Pacific: Central Pacific; Chicago & North Western; Kansas City Southern; Lake Superior & Ishpeming; Litchfield & Madison; Louisiana & Arkansas; Missouri-Kansas-Texas

Chicago, Missouri & Pacific: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Colorado & Southern; Denver & Rio Grande Western; Denver & Salt Lake; Fort Smith & Western; Fort Worth & Denver; Green Bay & Western; Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf; Missouri Pacific; Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka; Texas & Pacific; Western Pacific; 50% of the Trinity & Brazo Valley;

Southern Pacific: Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; St. Louis South Western; 50% of the Trinity & Brazo Valley

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe: Chicago Great Western; Kansas City, Mexico & Orient; Meridian & Bigbee; Midland Valley; Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern; Missouri & North Arkansas; St. Louis-San Francisco

Canadian-American International: Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific; Grand Trunk Western; Minneapolis, St. Paul & Saute Ste. Marie; Wisconsin Central


With that out of the way, let's list which railroads would stay the same and which would be changed. Going by these four regions, New England, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Midwest, and Southwest. This spin is going to use as little new lines as possible, so to make it more realistic, we are going to split stock among railroads where necessary.

New England: Boston & Maine; New York, New Haven & Hartford
The revised plan made by Mr. Dickinson seems to be well set as it is. So we are moving one from here to the northeast.

Northeast: New York Central; Pennsylvania; Baltimore & Ohio; Nickel Plate; Wabash & Erie
Mr Dickenson's initial revised plan seems good enough from the start. But I want to give the B&O more power.

Ergo, my solution is to give it trackage rights on the NYC from Toledo, OH to South Bend, IN. From there, It'd get to Chicago via one more acquisition, the famous South Shore interurban line (here, the interurbans would still be run by the state government).

As for the PRR, W&E, and the NYC, they seem completely fine as it is. But let's give the NY trackage rights over the DL&W anyway.

So we go the Nickel Plate. The big issue here is how it can get to link with the C&O. Ergo, I suggest we give them trackage rights over the NYC in two corridors. One being Chicago/ Indianapolis/ Cincinnati. The other being Cincinnati/ Columbus/ Cleveland.

Southeast: Atlantic Coast Line; Southern; Illinois Central
At a first glance, Sam's ideas seem quite simple and easy. But I have my doubts.

For starters, let's look at the Seaboard Air Line, part of Illlinois Central. However, the railroad does have some subtle differences from the ACL, so we'll split stock between IC and ACL.

I for one feel strongly that the L&N deserved to have the NC&StL. It let them get a busier link between its Cincy to Atlanta and Cincy to New Orleans mainlines. So that would go back to the ACL. Meanwhile, it seems the only railroad with no lines to Nashville is the Southern. So we'll give them the Tennesee Central east of Nashville. But let the IC keep the TC west of Nashville.

But, letting the IC have a chance to enter Chattanooga and Knoxville is a good idea. So we'll keep the idea. But instead of giving them all the NC&StL. We will split stock in the line 50/50 with the ACL. While it gets 33% of the Central of Georgia, with ACL getting its own 33% as does the Southern.

The Tennessee Central would also be split 50/50 between the IC and the Southern.

Last, but not least, we should work on how we can get the SOU and ACL into Chicago. For the ACL, we simply could just split up the C&EI so the route to Evansville can be given off. But I am not a fan of cutting up railroads. So we will just give 50% stock in the C&EI with the NKP. It not only give them Chicago, but also a better link to the L&N lines than the Monon did.

For the Southern, my idea is a just to give them 50% stock in the Monon. Like how they and ACL would have split stock, but now the B&O gets the other 50%.

Lastly, for the Richmond, Fredricksburg, and Potomac, let's split the stock among the ACL, PRR, B&O, and IC. Seeing how the IC gets SAL, the NKP's C&O gets into DC on its own, and the PRR and B&O could use Richmond.


Northwestern: Great Northern Pacific; Milwaukee Road

It seems fine at first, until you realize Great Northern Pacific doesn’t get to reach Chicago. So we make another new railroad.

This time, we take the Wisconsin Central from Canadian International, and give it to them. It may not get to Milwaukee, but at least it gets to Chicago.

Midwestern: Chicago, Missouri, & Pacific; Union Pacific

These seem fine at first. Until we realize that giving the UP the Central Pacific deprives to Southern Pacific of a good corridor. So we are actually going to split the historic route 50/50 between the two.

Mr Dickenson said he wanted to make sure that each railroad had only one mainline between the Mississippi and the Pacific. If we give a second line to the SP, we are giving it an unfair advantage over everyone else by giving it two east-west lines.

However, the UP also reached to LA and san Fransisco, like the SP. As did the Santa Fe. So I see no way the SP gets an unfair advantage in any form.

To the east, we ought to give the UP a line from Chicago to Kansas City, we could give them the CGW, but the ATSF needs that to get to the Twin Cities. So we will give them trackage rights on the Milwaukee Road from Cedar Rapids, IA to Kansas City. Letting them fight the SP and ATSF effectively in the Chicago- Texas market.

Southwestern: Santa Fe; Southern Pacific

Once more, these seem fine at first, once the Union Pacific splits the CP 50/50 with the SP. But then you realize that there is now a gap between the SP at Ogden and the Rock Island at Colorado Springs, CO. Solution, we make another 50/50 deal with another railroad, this time, SP splits othe Denver and Rio Grande 50/50 with the MoPac.

As for the ATSF, I had considered creating a mere line from St. Louis to Kansas City. But then I realized the Frisco and ATSF meeting at Avard, OK was fine.

But I do have a few more ideas for the ATSF. Namely better connections for some places they served.

First, for a better Oakland connection. Let's just give them 33% stock in the Denver and Rio grande, then 50/50 stock in the Western Pacific with the MoPac

Next, we can give them 50% stock in the UP's KCS to New Orleans. Then, to link with the SLSF, give it trackage rights from New Orleans to Birmingham.

Canada: Duluth, Winnipeg, & Pacific; Grand Trunk Western; Minneapolis, St. Paul & Saute Ste. Marie; Wisconsin Central
I was going to give the GTW to the PRR so it could link Chicago and Detroit with the South Bend Branch. But forget it, then can just use track age rights.

So, after going over all these railroads, analyzing them, rearranging them, and defining them, we have reduced the number of railroads from 21 to just 16. These complete railroads are listed here:


Boston & Maine: Bangor & Aroostook; Delaware & Hudson; Maine Central

New York, New Haven & Hartford: Lehigh & Hudson River; New York, Ontario & Western

New York Central: Trackage rights over the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western; Rutland; Virginian

Pennsylvania: Long Island; Norfolk & Western; Toledo, Peoria & Western; 50% of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line; 25% of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac; 50% of the Winston-Salem Southbound


Baltimore & Ohio: Buffalo & Susquehanna; Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh; Central Railroad of New Jersey; Chicago & Alton; 50% of the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville; Chicago, South Shore, & South Bend; Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western; Detroit & Toledo Shore Line; Lehigh & New England; Lehigh Valley; Trackage rights over PRR from La Paz to South Bend; Reading; 25% of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac; 50% of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line

New York, Chicago & St. Louis: Bessemer & Lake Erie; Chesapeake & Ohio; 50% of Chicago & Eastern Illinois; Chicago & Illinois Midland; Chicago, Attica & Southern; Detroit & Mackinac; Hocking Valley; Lehigh Valley; Trackage rights over New York Central between Chicago and Cincinnati and Cincinnati to Cleveland; Pere Marquette

Wabash & Erie: Akron, Canton & Youngstown; Ann Arbor; Detroit, Toledo & Ironton; Erie; Pittsburgh & West Virginia; Wabash; Western Maryland; Wheeling & Lake Erie

Atlantic Coast Line: Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast; 33% of the Central of Georgia; 50% of Chicago & Eastern Illinois; Clinchfield; 33% of the Florida East Coast; Georgia Route; Gulf Mobile & Northern; Louisville & Nashville; Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis; New Orleans Great Northern; 25% of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac; 50% of the Seaboard Air Line; 50% of the Winston-Salem Southbound

Southern: 33% of the Central of Georgia; 50% of the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville; 33% of the Florida East Coast; Trackage rights over the Georgia Route from Atlanta to Montgomery; Mobile & Ohio; Trackage rights over the L&N from Montgomery to New Orleans; Trackage rights over the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis from Nashville to Memphis; Norfolk Southern; Trackage rights over the N&W from Lynchburg to Bristol; 50% of the Tennessee Central

Illinois Central: Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay; Trackage rights over the Atlantic Coast Line from Albany, GA to Jacksonville; 33% of the Central of Georgia; Columbus & Greenville; 33% of the Florida East Coast; Trackage rights over the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis from Nashville to Chattanooga; 25% of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac; 50% of the Seaboard Air Line; 50% of the Tennessee Central

Great Northern Pacific: Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic; Great Northern; Trackage rights over the Milwaukee Road to Chicago; Minneapolis & St. Louis; Northern Pacific; Spokane, Portland & Seattle

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific: Butte, Anaconda & Pacific; Duluth & Iron Range; Duluth, Missabe & Northern; Escanaba & Lake Superior; Trackage rights on Spokane, Portland & Seattle to Portland, Oregon.

Union Pacific: 50% of Central Pacific; Chicago & North Western; Kansas City Southern; Lake Superior & Ishpeming; Litchfield & Madison; Louisiana & Arkansas; Trackage rights over the Milwaukee Road from Cedar Rapids to Kansas City. Missouri-Kansas-Texas

Chicago, Missouri & Pacific: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Colorado & Southern; 33% of the Denver & Rio Grande Western; Denver & Salt Lake; Fort Smith & Western; Fort Worth & Denver; Green Bay & Western; Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf; Missouri Pacific; Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka; Texas & Pacific; Western Pacific; 50% of the Trinity & Brazo Valley;

Southern Pacific: 50% of Central Pacific; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; 33% of the Denver & Rio Grande Western; St. Louis South Western; 50% of the Trinity & Brazo Valley

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe: Chicago Great Western; 33% of the Denver & Rio Grande Western; Kansas City, Mexico & Orient; Meridian & Bigbee; Midland Valley; Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern; Missouri & North Arkansas; St. Louis-San Francisco; 50% of Western Pacific

Canadian-American International: Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific; Grand Trunk Western; Minneapolis, St. Paul & Saute Ste. Marie; Wisconsin Central